January 7: Gnoshing a Knish

By Magdalena I. García

Had breakfast with my friend T. from Oshkosh this am. It was great to see him and to get news—and pictures—of his family. T. is a Presbyterian pastor, just like me. He is also very bright, funny, creative, humble and a decent human being—qualities that seminaries haven’t figured out how to teach—and PIFs don’t inquire about—but that make for fine ministers. So every December he sends an annual Christmas letter—one that I actually look forward to reading!

I went to breakfast with the letter in hand, because I had a pressing question for T. In the second paragraph, he talks about going to a baseball game at the new Yankee Stadium with his sons, and then he says, “P. [his older son] gnoshed his first knish…” I had no idea what that meant. I was stunned. I thought it might be a baseball term, like catching a fly ball. Go figure. A contemporary Gnostic secret. But I went on reading, and enjoyed the rest of the letter.

T. graciously explained that a knish is a Jewish snack popular in New York. It’s basically a filling (usually potato) covered with dough and then either baked, grilled, or deep fried. Alright, I get the picture. It’s like an empanada. Sounds yummy. I’ll go to a Yankees game just for that!

Funny how after 39 years of living in the United States as a Cuban immigrant I’m still learning every day words. But what is really interesting is reflecting on the way I read this letter, and on the fact that, at a very early age, I learned that in order to survive in a new environment, I had to figure out the big things using the context, letting go of the small details that were not essential to the overall experience.

Come to think of it, these are the kinds of skills that are needed to build the beloved community in a multicultural environment. Or to redevelop a congregation. Or to reinvent the church. One must be willing to step outside one’s comfort zone. One must be willing to accept the unknowns and live with them. One must figure out a lot of things from the context, or by trial and error. One must not get caught up in the conquering of minute details, because, although they might enrich the narrative, failure to master them does not deprive us of the story.

So...may 2010 be the year when we all dare “gnosh a knish”...whatever that might mean for you and me.